Tiger Woods To Miss Chevron World Challenge
Golfer will not appear at pre-tourney news conference
By David Tanklefsky -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/30/2009 1:59:00 PM
Tiger Woods will not play or attend the 2009 Chevron World Challenge due to injuries sustained in a car accident last week, the superstar golfer announced on his web site Monday (Nov. 30).
Woods will not appear in any more tournaments this year and is planning to return to golf in 2010.
"I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week," Woods said in a statement. "I am certain it will be an outstanding event and I'm very sorry that I can't be there." Woods also cancelled a pre-tournament news conference scheduled for Tuesday. Golf tournament press conferences are not normally a major draw for news networks, but with the drama surrounding Woods' holiday weekend car accident, it would have been a major draw.
The annual golf tournament, which is hosted by Woods and raises money for programs of the Tiger Woods Foundation, begins Thursday in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The first two rounds of the tournament air from noon-3 p.m. on Golf Channel. The final two rounds on Dec. 5 and 6 air in the same time slot on NBC.
Woods is a virtual one-man ratings bonanza for golf on TV. His return to the PGA Championship this August gave the tournament a 75% year-over-year increase from 2008. His comeback victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March gave that tournament a 23% increase from the year before and eclipsed the ratings from two major tournaments in 2008--The British Open and PGA Championship--in which Woods did not play because of injury.
He is also one of the most marketable athletes on the planet, wit some of the richest endorsement deals.
Woods was involved in a one-car accident early Friday morning outside his home near Orlando. He was treated and released from a local hospital, according to authorities, and has since declined to speak with state troopers regarding the incident.
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